Hyundai I30 Problems

Hyundai i30 Bluetooth pairing is achieved by switching your mobile phone’s Bluetooth function to On and the phone to Visible or Discoverable. The vehicle itself must also be stationary; phone pairing can not occur if the vehicle is moving.

Then, press the Phone button on the car’s stereo system or the Call button on the steering wheel. The infotainment screen should then display the devices it can find (including your phone). At the same time, the vehicle’s name should appear on your phone’s screen. Ensure it matches the vehicle and then select it.

On phones that require a passkey, a screen should show up on your phone. Enter 0000 and the connection should be completed. On phones that require confirmation, the info screen should show a six-digit code which will be mirrored on your phone. If the code is mirrored exactly, press Enter or OK and pairing should occur. From there you can transfer phonebook information and call lists per the on-screen prompts.

For more instructions on how to play music through the system, more setup options, and troubleshooting problems, refer to the vehicle’s owner’s manual.

The Trophy version of the i30 used exclusively the two-litre petrol engine. As such, it actually has both a timing belt and a timing chain. The engine has twin overhead camshafts, but only the exhaust camshaft is driven by the timing belt from the crankshaft. A short timing chain then takes drive from the exhaust camshaft to the intake camshaft. The engine also features variable valve timing.

The good news is that you really only have to periodically replace the timing belt (the chain should be maintenance-free for the life of the engine). The recommended replacement interval is every 100,000km.

You’ve layed out some challenging requirements here. You’d like a small SUV with a bit of ride comfort and clearly a bit of performance too, given your question about the i30 N.
I think you’ll find the ride harsh on the i30 N, especially since you found the ride on the Kona harsh already. Keep in mind the i30 N is a hot hatch and has the suspension to match.
I find the Subaru XV has very nice ride comfort for the small SUV segment, but I also feel that you will be disappointed with the performance from its 2.0-litre engine. You may also want to consider the new Hybrid Toyota C-HR. The Hybrid drive gives it a smidge of extra kick and it’s a fuel consumption hero, too.
For a better blend of performance and ride, really only the Volkswagen T-Roc and Skoda Karoq are going to excel in the small SUV crowd. In terms of ownership both now have five year warranties, and you can (and should) pre-package five years of servicing on top at a discount.

It sounds like the brake-light switch is at fault. These are usually located somewhere in the pedal assembly under the dashboard and, when you push the brake pedal, this simple on-off switch activates the brake lights. If the switch is jammed or stuck, it could cause the brake lights to remain on and cause your flat battery. I’d go with this theory first since a short, sharp whack on the brake pedal turns the lights off, suggesting that it’s a sticky switch that’s your problem.

You could try to lubricate the switch with a spray lubricant, but in most cases, the permanent fix is to replace the actual switch. It’s not a huge job and shouldn’t cost too much. That said, your car should still be under factory warranty, so it’s the dealer’s job to fix it.

It’s tempting to draw the same conclusion as you have, Peter, but it may not be that simple. The fact is, there are numerous reasons a car will throw up a warning light on the dashboard and, in the case of the electrical power-steering in your car that certainly holds true.

Also, Hyundai was very clear that the recall for the faulty power-steering only concerned those vehicles built between November 1 2009 and April 30 2010. Your car was built after that date, so it shouldn’t be susceptible to the same problem. However, there is often confusion about build dates, so another way to check whether your car was one of the affected ones is to see if its VIN falls within the list of affected VINs according to Hyundai.

For your references, the affected cars all had VINs between: KMHDC81TMAU064300 and KMHDC51TMAU267226.

If your car isn’t within those numbers, then the likely cause is something different and a decent workshop should be able to scan the car and discover what is causing the warning light. It could be something really simple.

The engine in your car uses a rubber timing belt which requires replacement every 90,000km. The design of this engine means a broken timing belt will likely destroy the entire engine, so it’s not something to ignore.

This needs to be fixed fast, Toni, as a car’s exhaust fumes are a deadly cocktail of gasses. Enough exposure to them can make you pass out (an obvious problem when you’re driving) or worse. Diesel engines are generally a bit smellier than a petrol engine, but no exhaust fumes should ever enter the car.

You’re either getting fumes drawn into the car via a faulty seal that is allowing exhaust fumes in, or the smell you’re experiencing is fumes in the engine-bay coming through the firewall. You need to inspect all the rubber seals around the doors and hatchback and search underneath the car and in the engine bay for a split or missing rubber bung or grommet that is letting the outside in.

The other question I have is whether the smell is the result of exhaust fumes or, in fact, the smell of unburnt diesel fuel. Diesel cars often acquire a diesel-fuel smell over time and the cause is hard to avoid. Because diesel doesn’t evaporate, the ground around the diesel pump at a service station is usually one big oily, diesel slick. When you fill your car, you unavoidably stand in this slick which is then transferred to the car’s carpet when you get back in. It’s not as crazy as it sounds, and it may be the clue you’re missing to explain the smell.

This sounds awfully like a sensor problem of some sort. Electronic sensors really do control every aspect of a modern car, from the engine to the dashboard and everything in between. So, it’s conceivable that your problem is the fault of a single sensor that is throwing multiple things out of kilter and causing the problems.

But why the engine and dashboard at the same time? Because a car’s computer will often take its cues from a variety of sources. Without a properly functioning dashboard (and the information on road-speed the speedometer supplies to the computer) some engines won’t even run at all. The rough running and hard starting could be another symptom of this.

But don’t rule out something simple like a battery or charging system that is not pulling its weight. Low battery voltage can do strange and random things to a modern, electronically-controlled car.

That’s definitely higher consumption than I would have expected. Are you driving exclusively in stop-start traffic? If so, that would help explain your consumption, but even then, I’d expect it to be closer to nine or 10 litres per 100km, not 13.

On that basis, I’d be giving the engine a once over in terms of how its fuel-injectors are working and checking things like fuel filters and pump pressure. A car that is not allowing its engine to warm up properly can also use more fuel than it should, because the computer, sensing that the engine is cooler than it should be, richens the fuel-air mixture to compensate. The cause of that can be something as simple as a dud thermostat or a cooling fan that is not switching off when it should.

But the other potential piece of the puzzle could be related to your driving style. You claim that the engine never goes beyond 2500rpm, which could mean you are `lugging’ the engine; making it work too hard at too low a speed. Modern four-cylinder engines don’t mind a rev and, in fact, need to be revving beyond a certain speed to be in their happy, most fuel-efficient, zone.